weight lifting help!

Now that I've looked at your diary, I'd recommend eating more of your exercise calories.

MFP assigns you a calorie deficit1 based on your weekly goal2. So if you burn 2000 calories a day and you want to lose a pound a week, MFP tells you to eat 1500. When you exercise you burn more than your 2000 calories a day. Say you burn 500. Suddenly you are burning 2500 calories a day. If you do not eat your exercise calories your deficit becomes 1000 calories. If you do eat your exercise calories your deficit remains at 500 calories.

Having "too large" of a calorie deficit can create problems. However, "too large" is subjective and varies from person to person. The more weight you have to lose however, the bigger calorie deficit you can handle. First, and most simply, it makes things harder, makes you hungry, gives you little energy, makes it harder to stick with your diet in the long run. Second, it might slow your metobolism (although this takes times) and slow your weight loss. Third, it makes the transition to maintenance difficult. Lastly, large calorie deficits can start to effect your health if you sustain them too long. Your hair can fall out, your nails crack, your period can stop (if you are female obviously). Your brain stops working at optimal levels, and other things.

Some people say they aren't hungry enough to eat their exercise calories. We need to realize that sometimes our hunger signals aren't the best thing to trust. If they were no one would be over or under weight.

The End.


1. Deficit = calories you eat - calories you burn all day

2. One pound (of fat) = 3500 calories. If you want to lose a pound a week (2lbs a week is possible but hard) you need to eat at a 500 calorie deficit because 3500/7 = 500.